The Portland daily press., 1887-12-17
THE MAINE STATE PRESS.
TO DETECT POISON IN CANDY.
ANY one Can Apply the Test-The Va
rious Kinds of Adulteration.
Nav York Tribune.1

Pious Kinds OF Adulteration.
New York Tribune.l
With the approach Of the holiday season
comes the annual array of cases of poisoning
from eating adulterated candy. A few have
already been reported as an earnest Of what
NAV be expected later. As usual investiga-
ton proved that in almost all Of them the
sickness was due to other causes than that
at first given. But this fact does not quiet
the alarm aroused in many mothers by the
announcement Of even single case. They
become suspicious Of all confectionery, no
matter by whom manufactured, and the
children are deprived Of their bon bons in
consequence. This wholesale denial Of what,
to the little folks, is one of the chief delights
of the holiday season, is entirely uncalled
for. if the Health Board officials are any au-
thority on the subject. They assert that can
DIV made by any first-elass manufacturer in
New York may be eaten with perfect safety.
There are two reasons for this: First. the
close watch maintained by the Health Board
over the manufacture and sale Of sugared
daInties in this city, and secondly, the
praisaworthy and determined efforts Of the
National Confectioners' Association to stamp
out all forms Of adulteration from the busi-
ness. Between these two agencies the I'M
nrincipled makers and dealers lind 1t pretty
difficuit, as well as dangerous, to foist their
stuff on the market They manage, however
to do it occasionally and sometimes with
serious results.
The question is often asked, are there no
simple tests within the reach OF everyone, by
which dangerous or injurious ingredients In
candy may be detected? Yes, there are, and
IN an intererview on the subject yesterday,
Dr. Edison, who has had years Of experience
in these matters, pointed them out. Ihree
kinds of adulteration," he said, are practls-
sneak of them as bulk, color and flavor adult
teration. The substances used in place OF
sugar To increase the weight or bulk are
terra-alba, kaolin, whiting, starch and
ground quartz. Terra-alba lhydrated sui
1hate of lime) may be detected by burning
few of the suspected candies in an iron or
other suitable vessel until the sugar Is con-
sumed and then mixing in tumbler OF wa
ter the ashes that remain. Ii white cloud.
ness ensues after adding few ounces OF
can be purchased at any drug store, then the
candy has probably been adulterated with
ferra-alba. Kaolin and ground quartz may
be be detected by dissolying the candy In not
water as the kaolin and quartz are insoluble
they will settle to the bottom. Wnlting'
N.
feryesce If little acid is added to 1t. The
fest for starch is an accurate one. Dissolve
a sweet meat in little cold water and add
drop or two of the tincture OF iodine; II a
blush color Is developed starch SIS preSent.
ON this point | might say that candy which
has undergone adulteration for bulk, though
very injurious, cannot In the strict sense OF
the word be called poisonous.
"As regards the adulteration practiced Tor
color-this is frequently a most dangerous
fraud, in consequence Of the poisonous. pig
whom detected practicing this form OF adj
liberation asserted that the color used was
so small that it could not possibly be lnJuIl-
Gus but this is not true, as is indicated by
the eye alone, and confirmed by chemical an
ard ar-c..::o ..le poisous Such as are termed
by the medical profession cumulative in
their effect-thatltfSso say, they accumu-
late in the system little by little until enough
is present to act poisOnOusly, Cases are on
record of lead-poisoning cause by merely
moistening with the tongue waters colored
with red lead How much more injurious Is
confectionery colored in like manner when
taken through the stomach? To test candy
with respect to poisonous colors one needs a
few ounces Of alcohol, about an ounce of
bleaching powder in solution (hypochlorite
of calcium), a little white woollen yarn and a
small bottle Of aqua ammonia. See nrst
whether the color can be dissolved out by al
II
the solution, and should the color adhere to
the yarn and dye it the probabilities are that
it is a coal-tar color; il a red, 1t may contain
arsenic. Ii the alcohol produces no effect
apply drop of the bleaching powder solu-
tion to the surface of the sweetmeat; II the
color fades out 1t Is probably OF vegetable or
igin and harmless.
The poisonous color most frequently use d
is chrome yellow, a compound OF chromium
and lead. Its presence may be strongly sus-
pected If the following tests have shown that
none of the harmless yellOws have been en-
ployed. The harmless yellows most com
monty employed are turmerie, vegetable
color made from the root of certain herb,
flourescein, cOal-tar yellow, and NUMBER
of vegetable yell0ws. Turmexlc turns red
when treated with ammonia. The other veg
etable yellows fade when treated with the
solution of bleaching powder. TO detect
fluorescein dissolve the candy IN tumDler
of water and view the water In the sunlignt
against black background. III nuoIescein
has been used the green huoresceln VIII tnen
be seen. When the tumbler is held between
the eye and the light the color OF the, water
appears yellow If no results are. obtained
by any of these tests, the suspected candy is
probably colored by chrome yellow and Is
poisonous. Burnt lumber, an lron-bearlng
earth frequently used to adulterate chocO-
olate CONNECTIONS may be detected in thisway !:
Dissolve the CONNECTION in glass OF hot wa
ter, if brown gritty residue remains undls-
solved on the bottom the presence OF the um'
Der is indicated"
He could not give, he said, any. simple
test by which the third classlof adulteration
might be detected. The tiavoring essences,
wintergreen. vanilla and other hayors used
are nearly all artifcially made. Some OF
these contain prussic acid and some fusil OIL
both Of which are, as everybody knows,
highly poisonous The essence Of pine
apple, vInade by distilling rancid butter, wood
alcohol and oil of vitriol, Is also considered
injurious by good authorities. Almond ia
yor is said to have caused cases Of fatal
poisoning from the prusslc acid contained in
1t. However" said the. Doctor in conclu-
sion. 81 can assure you that there Is no can
DIV made or sold by any first class dealer in
this city that one need fear to eat. The
knowledge of certain detection and c0nvic-
ton will, if nothing else avails, prevent in
fractions of the law"
In this work of supervision the Board Of
Health has, as stated, the earnest co-opera-
tion ofthe National Confectioners Association
the president of which, r. ii. Moses, of A.
Slauson e Co., of Church ST., will pay in be-
half of the organization reward of 500 to
the conviction of persons adulterating con-
fectionery with poisoning or injurious sub
stances, the association assuming the cost and
responsibility of prosecuting the offender
il Iyould be difhcnlt to estimate the value Of
the work already accomplished by this asso-
citation. which now represents an aggregate
eapital of from ten million to fifteen million
dollars. Already 1t has succeeded in getting
laws against the adulteration Of candy passed
by the Legislature OF this State and OF
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Massachusetts,
Michiean. Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin,
and at present its executive Committee is
,.rora ring n hill on the subiect to submit to